After zooming into China with a slick publicity campaign earlier this year, electric car superstar Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) has run into a major new roadblock in one of its most promising markets over a trademark dispute. Tesla thought it had settled a matter that jumped into the headlines last summer as it was preparing to formally move into China. But apparently the trademark squatter who purchased the Tesla names in English and Chinese wasn’t satisfied, and has formally sued the company. Based on past cases, this one could be costly for Tesla, forcing it to pay tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars if it wants to reclaim its name in China. Read Full Post…
A major overhaul of China’s railway timetables has been in the news these last few days, part of an ongoing transformation that is changing the nature of how people use trains in this country. Amid all the adjustments making headlines, one report on the retirement of a 30-year-old route between Shanghai and Beijing caught my attention as it nicely summarized the huge changes that have occurred here over the last decade. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 9. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Car Maker Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) Sued In China For Trademark Infringement (English article)
SouFun (NYSE: SFUN) Tumbles In New York On Commission Concerns (English article)
China Says GSK-Linked (London: GSK) Trial Being Handled According To Law (English article)
I wrote about taxi apps a few times last year when they first became a hot topic, but haven’t written much since then despite frequent appearances in the headlines about their aggressive business practices. At the end of the day the news didn’t seem too interesting, and companies like Didi and Kuaidi seemed destined to remain relatively small in a sector with limited growth potential. But a new war pitting US giant Uber against the Chinese start-ups seems worth writing about, as it has bigger potential to shake up the market and also to draw attention from Chinese regulators. Read Full Post…
An important step in China’s ongoing battle against piracy is showing signs of being undermined, with word that a Shenzhen company that received a record fine for copyright violations was attempting to avoid the penalty through use of an old trick.
The Shenzhen government should take extra efforts to enforce the penalty, and also make sure that the company, QVOD, permanently ends its piracy practices. Such a tack would send a strong message to Chinese companies that intellectual property theft of any kind won’t be tolerated, and the government will tirelessly pursue culprits until they are brought to justice. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 8. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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3 Telcos Ordered To Reduce Spending By 40 Bln Yuan In 3 Years (Chinese article)
China Signs Deal To Purchase 123 Airbus Helicopters (English article)
China Ousts Foreign Servers for Local Brand, People’s Daily Says (English article)
Two of the world’s biggest social networking service (SNS) operators are in the headlines as the new week begins, starting with word that Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) is moving ahead with its plans to open in China. Meantime, separate reports are saying Japanese-based mobile instant messaging service Line has been disrupted in China, perhaps for carrying sensitive content.
These news bits may look different on the surface, but they’re really quite similar in broader terms. China is extremely wary of offshore-based SNS like Facebook, Line and Twitter (NYSE: TWTR), because they are not subject to the country’s strict self-censorship laws. Thus companies that want to develop a China business must open offices and host their Chinese services on local servers to placate Beijing, which is what Facebook and Line are doing now. Read Full Post…
It’s now been 3 years since a series of accounting scandals toppled a handful of overseas-listed Chinese high-flyers, starting with a financial services company called Longtop. The scandals were sparked by opportunistic short sellers, who launched a steady stream of similar assaults highlighting the aggressive accounting practices at many Chinese companies. But after Longtop and 1 or 2 other big names fell, all major companies managed to repel the attacks and get on with business. Now some investors might be wondering if another major player may be set to fall, following new ominous signs coming from embattled security software maker NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ). Read Full Post…
Lenovo’s IBM, Motorola buys come under the microscope
A month after word first emerged that Lenovo’s (HKEx: 992) mega-deal to buy IBM’s (NYSE: IBM) low-end server business was running into political headwinds, Lenovo is coming out and directly saying it expects to close the deal by the end of the year. Some of my sources near IBM are giving a similar message, even after a top Lenovo executive said last month that the ongoing cybersecurity spat between Beijing and Washington could derail the deal. Lenovo is also saying it expects to close its separate purchase of Motorola Mobility in the same time frame, marking the first time I’ve ever seen anyone imply that the purchase of that company from Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) might face any political headwinds. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 5-7. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ) Sinks 32 Pct As Audit Panel Heads Resigns (English article)
US ‘Concerned’ About Being Barred From GSK-linked (London: GSK) China Trial (English article)
Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) Leases 800 Square Meter Office In Beijing Central Business District (Chinese article)
China Approves Lenovo (HKEx: 992), IBM (NYSE: IBM) $2.3 Bln Server Deal (English article)
QVOD Abandons Old Address, Registers Under New Name (Chinese article)
Separate reports about a new IPO by one company and potential exit from the Nasdaq by another are reflecting the mixed feelings that Chinese firms have for New York, where public listings can bring both prestige and also headaches. In the new listing category, media are reporting that yet another mobile game developer called iDreamSky has just made its first public filing for a New York IPO to raise up to $110 million. Meantime, other media are reporting that veteran online travel service eLong (Nasdaq: LONG) could be gearing up for a buy-out by much larger rival Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP). Read Full Post…
